Mega elongator

ABSTRACT

A replacement tailgate for the purpose of elongating the pick up truck may be installed on a truck bed wherein the replacement tailgate can be unfolded in order to elongate a length of the truck bed. The replacement tailgate may have front and rear shells that are used to support objects placed in the truck bed as well as act as the new tailgate when the truck bed length is elongated. Various panels may be unfolded in order to trap objects within the truck bed when the replacement tailgate is unfolded in order to elongate the truck bed length.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This is a continuation in part application of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 15/414,346, filed on Jan. 24, 2017, which is a continuation inpart application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/238,577, filedon Aug. 16, 2016, which is a continuation in part application of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 14/959,259, filed on Dec. 4, 2015, now U.S.Pat. No. 9,452,782, the entire contents of which is expresslyincorporated herein by reference.

STATEMENT RE: FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH/DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable

BACKGROUND

The various embodiments and aspects described herein relate to anaccessory for a truck bed to elongate a length of the truck bed.

Trucks have beds that come in a variety of sizes. By way of example andnot limitation, the truck beds may be a short bed or long bed. The shortbed may serve the purposes of its owner a majority of the time but atcertain times, the owner may require a slightly longer truck bed to haullarger or longer objects. In this regard, the owner may let down his orher tailgate and allow the objects to hang out of the back side of thetruck bed when hauling the long object. In doing so, the object becomesa safety hazard in that other vehicles and pedestrians may not see theelongated object hanging out of the truck bed and may inadvertently hitthe object causing injury to the person and/or damage to the object.

Additionally, the objects configuration may not be conducive to easilytying the object down in the truck bed. The tailgate is typically liftedupward in order to trap the object within the truck bed so that even ifthe object slides in the truck bed, the object would still remain withinthe truck bed.

Accordingly, there is a need in the art for an accessory for a truckbed.

BRIEF SUMMARY

A pick up truck elongator in the form of the tailgate is disclosedherein. The factory tailgate may be replaced with a replacement tailgatethat can be pivoted downward to elongate the length of the factory truckbed. The replacement tailgate has a front shell that can be pivotedupward to function as the new tailgate when a rear shell of thereplacement tailgate acts as the support to elongate the length of thefactory truck bed. Left and right side panels may be unfolded in orderto form an enclosure with left and right side walls of the truck bed.Additionally, the rear shell can be fabricated from first and secondtelescoping panels that allow the user to further expand the factorytruck bed.

Alternatively, the original tailgate or replacement tailgate may act asthe support to elongate the length of the factory truck bed. Side panelsare tucked away in the cavity adjacent a rear side of the left and righttruck side bed walls. The panels are folded out and engaged to the uppersurface of the tailgate in order to retain objects placed in the truckbed within the truck bed.

More particularly, a tailgate for a bed of a truck is disclosed. Thetailgate may comprise a rear shell, a front shell, left and right sidepanels and left and right latches. The rear shell may be sized andconfigured to fit between left and right sidewalls of the truck bed. Therear shell may be pivotally attached to a lower rear edge of the truckbed. The front shell may be pivotally attached to an upper edge of therear shell. The front shell may be pivoted greater than 180 when thefront shell is disposed generally parallel to the rear shell. The leftand right side panels may be pivotally attached to left and right sideportions of the front shell. The left and right latches may be attachedto the left and right side panels and the left and right sidewalls ofthe truck bed to mitigate unwanted movement of the rear shell, frontshell and the left and right panels during forward movement of thetruck.

The rear shell may comprise first and second telescoping panels forelongating a length of the bed of the truck. The first and secondtelescoping panels may be attached to each other as a tongue and grooveconnection.

The tailgate may further comprise left and right elongating side panelswhich may be pivotally attached to respective ones of the left and rightside panels. The left and right latches may be attached to the left andright elongating side panels and the left and right side walls of thetruck bed for securing the left and right side panels and the left andright elongating side panels to the left and right side walls of thetruck bed.

The rear shell, front shell, left and right side panels may befabricated from carbon fiber, aluminum, fiberglass, plastic or steel.

The front shell may be pivoted to an angle of about 270 degrees to allowthe front shell to hang down when loading and unloading the truck bed.

The left and right latches may be removably attached to left and rightstandard latch receivers of the truck bed.

The tailgate may further comprise a cover for a pivot joint between thefront and rear shells.

In another aspect, a method of elongating a bed length of a truck isdisclosed. The method may comprise the steps of providing a tailgate fora bed of a truck and pivotally attaching a lower edge of the rear shellto the lower rear edge of the truck bed. In the providing step of themethod, the tailgate may comprise a rear shell, a front shell, left andright side panels and left and right latches. The rear shell may besized and configured to fit between left and right sidewalls of thetruck bed. The rear shell may be pivotally attached to a lower rear edgeof the truck bed. The front shell may be pivotally attached to an upperedge of the rear shell. The front shell may be pivoted greater than 180degrees when the front shell is disposed generally parallel to the rearshell. The left and right side panels may be pivotally attached to leftand right side portions of the front shell. The left and right latchesmay be attached to the left and right side panels and the left and rightsidewalls of the truck bed to mitigate unwanted movement of the rearshell, front shell and the left and right panels during forward movementof the truck.

The method may further comprise the step of rotating the tailgate sothat the front and rear shells are generally parallel to a ground. Themethod may also further comprise the steps of rotating the front shellabout an upper edge of the rear shell so that the front and rear shellsare about 90 degrees from each other; rotating the left and right sidepanels toward the left and right sidewalls of the truck bed; andsecuring the left and right side panels to the left and right sidewallsof the truck bed with the left and right latches.

The method may also further comprise the steps of elongating telescopingfirst and second panels of the front shell to elongate a length of thetruck bed; pivoting left and right elongating side panels from the leftand right side panels; and securing the left and right elongating sidepanels to the left and right sidewalls of the truck bed with the leftand right latches.

In another aspect, a tailgate extender for a bed of a truck isdisclosed. The tailgate extender may comprise first, second and thirddriver-side vertical panels and first, second and third passenger-sidevertical panels.

The first driver side vertical panel may be pivotally attached to adriver side sidewall of the bed of the truck. The second driver sidevertical panel may be pivotally attached to the first driver sidevertical panel. The third driver side vertical panels may be pivotallyattached to the second driver side vertical panel. The first, second andthird driver side vertical panels may be stacked adjacent to each otherand disposed in a cavity formed at a rear inner portion of the driverside sidewall of the bed of the truck. The first driver side verticalpanel may be pivoted so as to be parallel to a driver side edge of thetailgate. The second and third driver side vertical panels may bepivoted so as to be parallel to a back edge of the tailgate.

The first passenger side vertical panel may be pivotally attached to apassenger side sidewall of the bed of the truck. The second passengerside vertical panel may be pivotally attached to the first passengerside vertical panel. The third passenger side vertical panels may bepivotally attached to the second passenger side vertical panel. Thefirst, second and third passenger side vertical panels may be stackedadjacent to each other and disposed in a cavity formed at a rear innerportion of the passenger side sidewall of the bed of the truck. Thefirst passenger side vertical panel may be pivoted so as to be parallelto a passenger side edge of the tailgate. The second and third passengerside vertical panel may be pivoted so as to be parallel to a back edgeof the tailgate.

The tailgate extender may further comprising a replacement tailgatedefining an upper surface with a groove for receiving the second andthird driver-side and passenger side vertical panels. The groove may beparallel with the back edge of the replacement tailgate.

The second and third driver side and passenger side vertical panels mayhave flexible strips at a bottom end of the second and third driver sideand passenger side vertical panels which are receivable in the grooveformed in the replacement tailgate.

In another aspect, a method of extending a truck bed of a truck isdisclosed. The method may comprise the steps of providing driver-sidefirst, second and third vertical panels which are stacked upon eachother and disposed in a driver-side cavity formed by a driver-sidesidewall of the truck bed; providing a passenger-side first, second andthird vertical panels which are stacked upon each other and disposed ina passenger-side cavity formed by a passenger-side sidewall of the truckbed; pivoting a tailgate to an opened position so that an upper surfaceof the tailgate is generally coplanar with an upper surface of the truckbed; pivoting the driver side first, second and third vertical panelsout from the driver side cavity so that the driver side first verticalpanel is parallel with a driver side edge of the tailgate; pivoting thepassenger side first, second and third vertical panels out from thepassenger side cavity so that the passenger side first vertical panel isparallel a passenger side edge of the tailgate; and pivoting the driverside and passenger side second and third vertical panels away from thedriver side and passenger side first vertical panels so that the secondand third vertical panels are parallel to a back edge of the tailgate.

In the method, the step of pivoting the driver side and passenger sidesecond and third vertical panels away from the driver side and passengerside first vertical panels may include the steps of pivoting the driverside third vertical panel away from the driver side second verticalpanel; and pivoting the passenger side third vertical panel away fromthe passenger side third vertical panel.

In the method, the step of pivoting the driver side and passenger sidesecond and third vertical panels away from the driver side and passengerside first vertical panels may also include the step of disposingweather stripping attached to bottom portions of the driver side andpassenger side second and third vertical panels in a groove formed inthe upper surface of the tailgate.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features and advantages of the various embodimentsdisclosed herein will be better understood with respect to the followingdescription and drawings, in which like numbers refer to like partsthroughout, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a truck with a replacement tailgateinstalled on a bed of the truck;

FIG. 2 illustrates a cover of the tailgate shown in FIG. 1 pivotedoutward;

FIG. 3 illustrates the tailgate shown in FIG. 2 pivoted downward;

FIG. 4 illustrates a front shell of the tailgate pivoted upward so thatthe front shell and a rear shell are at a 90° pivoting angle;

FIG. 5 illustrates the front shell of the tailgate pivoted so that thepivoting angle is at 270° between the front shell and the rear shell;

FIG. 6 illustrates the left and right side panels being pivoted outwardwhen the rear shell is 90° with respect to the front shell;

FIG. 7 illustrates the left and right side panels pivoted outward;

FIG. 8 illustrates latches of the left and right side panels engagingstandard latch receivers of the truck bed;

FIG. 9 illustrates first and second telescoping panels of the rearshell;

FIG. 10 illustrates the front shell of the tailgate pivoted upward sothat the front shell and the rear shell are at a 90° pivoting angle;

FIG. 11 illustrates the front shell of the tailgate pivoted so that thepivoting angle is about 270° between the front shell and the rear shell;

FIG. 12 illustrates the front shell pivoted back to the 90° pivotingangle after objects are placed in the truck bed;

FIG. 13 illustrates the left and right side panels being pivotedoutward;

FIG. 14 illustrates left and right elongating side panels pivotedoutward and secured to standard receivers of the truck bed with latches;

FIG. 15 illustrates a second embodiment of the pick up truck bedelongator;

FIG. 16 illustrates the elongator of FIG. 15 with a tailgate in anopened position;

FIG. 17 illustrates the elongator of FIG. 15 with first, second andthird vertical panels being traversed to an expanded position;

FIG. 18 illustrates the elongator of FIG. 15 with the first and secondvertical panels traversed to the expanded position;

FIG. 19 illustrates the elongator of FIG. 15 with the third verticalpanel being traversed to the expanded position; and

FIG. 20 illustrates the elongator of FIG. 15 with the first throughthird vertical panels traversed to the expanded position;

FIG. 21 illustrates a third embodiment of the pick up truck elongator;

FIG. 22 illustrates the pick up truck elongator shown in FIG. 21 with atailgate in a down position;

FIG. 23 illustrates the pick up truck elongator shown in FIG. 21 with anextension pivoted out from the tailgate;

FIG. 24 illustrates housings for a plurality of panels being traversedout of the cavities defined by sidewalls of the truck bed and theplurality of panels telescoping outward;

FIG. 25 illustrates the plurality of panels continuing to telescopeoutward;

FIG. 26 illustrates the plurality of panels being pivoted so to bedisposed at an edge of the tailgate;

FIG. 27 illustrates the plurality of panels being traversed to form anenclosure of the truck bed;

FIG. 28 illustrates a fourth embodiment of the pick up truck elongator;

FIG. 29 illustrates a plurality of panels which form sidewalls and afloor of an extended portion of the truck bed being telescoped outwardwith a tailgate;

FIG. 30 illustrates the plurality of panels continuing to be telescopedoutward;

FIG. 31 illustrates the tailgate being traversed to the down position;

FIG. 32 illustrates a mechanism for retracting and deploying theelongator under a power of a motor controlled with a control panel;

FIG. 33 illustrates a fifth embodiment of the pick up truck elongator;

FIG. 34 illustrates the fifth embodiment of the pick up truck elongatorwith a rear bumper and tailgate extended rearwardly;

FIG. 35 illustrates one or more actuators and/or shock absorbers forextending the rear bumper and the tailgate rearwardly and also forabsorbing impact on the rear bumper;

FIG. 36 illustrates the one or more actuators and/or shock absorbers inan extended position;

FIG. 37 is a cross sectional view of the truck bed in a collapsedposition; and

FIG. 38 is the cross sectional view of the truck bed but in an extendedposition.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring now to the drawings, a replacement tailgate 10 a for a bed 12of the truck 14 for the purpose of elongating the pickup truck is shown.The tailgate 10 a may replace the factory tailgate and enable the userto elongate the factory length 16 of the truck bed 12 of the truck 14.The tailgate 10 a can elongate the factory length 16 of the truck bed 12about a height 18 of the truck bed 12 or an elongated length 20 (seeFIG. 11). The tailgate 10, 10 a can also be secured to standard factorylatching mechanisms of the factory installed truck bed so that no orlittle modification to the truck bed 12 is necessary in order toretrofit the truck 14 with the tailgate 10. Alternatively, the factorytailgate may be used to elongate the factory length 16 of the truck bed12 of the truck 14.

Referring now the FIGS. 1-8, the tailgate 10 is shown as being deployedto elongate the length 16 of the truck bed 12 to the height 18 of thetruck bed 12. In particular, the tailgate 10 has cover 22. The cover 22is disposed on top of upper ends 24, 26 of front and rear shells 28, 30of the tailgate 10. The cover 22 prevents objects from beinginadvertently disposed between the front and rear shells 28, 30. Thefront shell 28 functions as the tailgate when the factory length 16 ofthe truck 12 is elongated by the height 18 of the truck bed 12, as shownin FIG. 8. The rear shell 30 functions as a bottom support forelongating the length 16 so that longer objects 34 can be placed in thetruck bed 12 and secured therein by the tailgate 32. Pivoting the cover22 about the upper end 26 of the rear shell 30 may enable the frontshell 28 to be pivoted about the rear shell 30.

After pivoting the cover 22 to the open position as shown in FIG. 2, theuser may release the tailgate 10 from the left and right side walls 36,38 to lower the front and rear shells 28, 30 to elongate the factorylength 16 of the truck bed 12. As discussed above, the cover 22 may beattached and configured to the tailgate 10 so that pivoting of the cover22 to the open position enables pivoting of the front shell 28 about therear shell 30. In this regard, the cover 22 can be pivoted to the openposition either before or after the tailgate 10 is traversed to the downposition, as shown in FIG. 3. Moreover, it is also contemplated that theability of the front and rear shells 28, 30 to be pivoted about eachother can be independent of the position of the cover 22. The cover 22can be held in the closed position, as shown in FIG. 1 or in the openposition as shown in FIG. 2 with a detent or other latching mechanism.

Once the tailgate 10 is pivoted downward, the front shell 28 can bepivoted upward as shown in FIG. 4. The pivoting angle 40 can be limitedto between about 90° and about 270° (see FIG. 5), as shown in FIGS. 4and 5. The pivoting angle 40 can be limited by way of a detent or othermechanism known in the art or developed in the future. When the frontshell 28 is pivoted 270°, the user can slide objects 34 into the bedthen lift the front shell 28 upward to trap the objects 34 in the truckbed 12, as shown in FIG. 6.

The front shell 28 may have a height 42 (see FIG. 4) equal to about theheight 18 of the tailgate 10. Alternatively, the height 42 of the frontshell 28 may be greater than or less than the height 18 but ispreferably about equal to the height 18 of the tailgate 10.

As shown in FIG. 7, left and right side panels 44, 46 can be rotatedoutward and secured to the left and right side walls 36, 38 of the truckbed 12 with the latching mechanism 48. The latching mechanism 48 may besecured to the standard receivers on truck beds so that no or littlemodification to the truck bed 12 is needed. By securing the latchingmember 48 to the standard receivers on the truck bed 12, the pivotingangle 40 of the front shell 28 is locked to 90°. Also, the elongatedlength 20 is set to the height 18 of the tailgate 10. Objects 34 placedwithin the truck bed 12 remain secured therein by way of the front shell28 and the left and right side panels 44, 46. The left and right sidepanels 44, 46 may remain in the un-deployed state as shown in FIGS. 4and 5. By way of example and not limitation, the left and right sidepanels 44, 46 and the front shell 28 may have magnets and/or detentsthat hold the left and right side panels 44, 46 against the front shell28. Other mechanisms are also contemplated such as detents, latches,etc.

In a further feature, the tailgate 10 may be used to elongate thefactory length 16 of the truck bed 12 greater than the height and up toan elongated length 20. To this end, referring now to FIGS. 9-14 therear shell 30 may be fabricated from telescoping first and secondtelescoping panels 50, 52. By extending the telescoping first and secondpanels 50, 52, the truck bed 12 can be elongated by length 54 (see FIG.10) which is greater than the height 18. The second telescoping panel 52may be traversed between the retracted position, shown in FIG. 3 or theelongated position, shown in FIG. 10. The second telescoping panel 52may be retained in the retracted position or elongated position by wayof a detent or other mechanism known in the art or developed in thefuture.

Once the second telescoping panel 52 is traversed to the expandedposition as shown in FIG. 10, the front shell 28 may be pivoted downwardso that the front shell 28 hangs downward as shown in FIG. 11. In thisway, objects 34 can be slid onto or off of the truck bed 12. Onceobjects 34 are placed in the truck bed 12, the user can traverse thefront shell 28 so that the front shell 28 is 90° with respect to therear shell 30, shown in FIG. 12. The left and right side panels 44, 46can be rotated outward as shown in FIG. 13. Moreover, left and rightelongating panels 56, 58 can also be rotated to close the gap 60 betweenthe left and right side panels 44, 46 and the left and right side walls36, 38 of the truck bed 12. Once the latches 60, 62 are secured to thereceivers, objects 34 placed on the truck bed cannot slip out of thetruck bed 12 due to the front shell 28, left and right side panels 44,46 and the left and right elongating panels 56, 58.

The front and rear shells 20, 30, left and right side panels 44, 46 andthe left and right elongating panels 56, 58 may be fabricated from avariety of materials including but not limited to carbon fiber, steel,fiberglass, plastic, aluminum, and other materials known in the art ordeveloped in the future.

The tailgate 10 described herein has been describe as a replacement to afactory tailgate. However, it is also contemplated that the tailgate maybe offered as original equipment from the factory or manufacturer.

Referring now to FIGS. 15-20, a second embodiment of the apparatus anddevice for extending the factory length 16 (see FIG. 16) of the truckbed 12 of the truck 14 is shown. In particular, the replacement tailgate10 a may be attached to the truck bed 12 by attaching the tailgate 10 ato the standard attachment mechanisms provided in the truck 14. By wayof example and not limitation, the tailgate 10 a may be pivotallyattached to a rear portion of the truck bed 12. The tailgate 10 a maypivot about pivot axis 70. Preferably, the pivot motion of the tailgate10 a may be limited to 90° as shown in FIGS. 15 and 16. The tailgate 10a when in the vertical orientation may be in the locked position andunlocked only when the user grips the handle 72 and releases thelatching mechanism between the tailgate 10 a and the factory latchingmechanisms in the side walls of the truck bed 12 of the truck 14. Whenthe tailgate 10 a is pivoted downward as shown in FIG. 16, the tailgate10 a and more particularly an upper surface 76 of the tailgate 10 a maybe coplanar with an upper surface 74 of the truck bed 12 so that thetailgate 10 a now extends the length 16 of the truck bed 12 plus thetailgate 10 a. Objects 34 placed within the truck bed 12 may be retainedtherein with a plurality of driver-side vertical panels 78 andpassenger-side vertical panels 80 which are stacked, folded, and storedinto cavities 82, 84 formed by the side walls 36, 38 and the top ledge86, 88 of the left and right side walls 36, 38. It is also contemplatedthat the plurality of driver-side vertical panels 78 and passenger-sidevertical panels 80 may be stacked, folded and stored adjacent to but notwithin a cavity of the sidewalls 36, 38.

The passenger-side vertical panels 80 a-c and the driver-side verticalpanels 78 a-c may be pivoted out as shown in FIGS. 17-20. In particular,panels 78 a, 80 a may pivot around 90° about vertical pivot axes 90, 92.The vertical panels 78 a, 80 a may extend out until the vertical panels78 a, 80 a are parallel to left and right side edges 94, 96 of thetailgate 10 a, shown in FIG. 18. The vertical panels 78 a, 80 a may besecured in this position by means known in the art or developed in thefuture. By way of example and not limitation, the vertical panels 78 a,80 a may have detents or other latching mechanisms that may be used toattach the vertical panels 78 a, 80 a to the tailgate 10 a.

The panels 78 b, 80 b may be pivoted until the panels 78 b, 80 b aregenerally parallel with the back edge 98 of the tailgate 10 a. Thepanels 78 b and 80 b may be pivoted about vertical pivot axes 104, 106.Likewise, the vertical panels 78 c, 80 c may be pivoted to close theopening 108 as shown in FIG. 20. The vertical panels 78 c, a-c may bepivoted about vertical pivot axes 110, 112. The bottom edge portions 100of the panels 78 b, c and 80 b, c may have a rubberized weatherstripping 102. The weather stripping 102 may be received into a groove104 formed in the upper surface 76 of the tailgate 10 a. The panels 78b, c and panels 80 b, c may be held in position by way of latchingmechanisms known in the art or developed in the future. By way ofexample and not limitation, these latching mechanisms include but arenot limited to detents, over center latches, etc. Moreover, thedisposition of the weather strip 102 of the panels 78 b, c and 80 b, calso help to retain the panels 78 b, c, 80 b, c parallel to the backedge 98 of the tailgate 10 a. The two vertical panels 78 c, 80 c mayalso be latched together with the latching mechanism known in the art ordeveloped in the future. In this manner, objects 34 placed in the truckbed may roll around in the truck bed 12 but will not roll out of thetruck bed 12 because the objects 34 are blocked by the vertical panels78 a, b, c and panels 80 a, b, c.

The tailgate has been described as having third vertical panels 78 c and80 c in order to close the back edge of the tailgate. However, it isalso contemplated that the second vertical panels 78 b and 80 b whichare rotatably attached to the first vertical panels 78 a and 80 a may besufficiently long so that distal ends of the second vertical panels 78 band 80 b can be latched to each other with the latching mechanism thatlatches the third vertical panels 78 c and 80 c together, as discussedabove.

In a variant of the second embodiment of the tailgate 10 a, the originalfactory tailgate may be utilized in conjunction with the left and rightvertical panels 70 a, b, c and vertical panels 80 a, b, c. To this end,the hinge that allows the panels 78 a, 80 a to be pivoted about verticalpivot axes 90, 92 may be locked in the deployed state as shown in FIG.18. Likewise, the hinge that enables the panels 78 b, 80 b to pivotabout vertical pivot axes 104, 106 may be locked in the deployed stateas shown in FIG. 19. Optionally, the hinge that enables the panels 78 c,80 c to pivot about vertical axes 110, 112 may be locked in the deployedstate as shown in FIG. 20 or alternatively the panels 78 c and 80 c mayfreely rotate out the vertical pivot axes 110, 112 and be locked in thedeployed state as shown in FIG. 20 by way of the latching mechanism thatsecures the panels 78 c to 80 c and vice versa.

In the second embodiment, the passenger-side vertical panels are made upof three panels 80 a-c. The driver-side vertical panels 78 are also madeup of three vertical panels 78 a-c. It is also contemplated that thepanel 78 a and 80 a which are parallel to the left and right edges 94,96 of the tailgate 10 a may be made up of one or more panels that arerotatably attached to each other. The panels 78 b-c and 80 b-c may alsobe each made up of one or more panels that are rotatably attached toeach other.

Referring now to FIGS. 21-27, a third embodiment of the pick up truckelongator 200 for extending a factory length 16 of a truck bed 12 of thetruck 14 is shown. The pick up truck elongator 200 may be factoryinstalled or installed by a retail owner of the truck 14. The elongator200 may have a replacement tailgate 202 that replaces the factorytailgate if the pick up truck elongator 200 is installed by the retailowner of the truck 14. The replacement tailgate 202 may be mounted tothe truck bed in the same manner that the original factory tailgate ismounted to the truck bed. Although shown only in phantom, thereplacement tailgate 202 may have cables that hold the tailgate 202 in ahorizontal position or coplanar with a floor 204 of the truck bed 12when the replacement tailgate 202 is in the down position as shown inFIG. 22.

To deploy the pick up truck elongator 200 to extend the factory length16 of the truck bed 12, the tailgate 202 may be traversed from the upposition as shown in FIG. 21 to the down position, shown in FIG. 22. Inthe down position, an extension panel 206 of the tailgate may be pivotedup and out as shown by rotational arrow 208 about pivot axis 210. Thepivot axis 210 is offset inward from an upper edge 212 of the tailgate202. The offset distance 214 may be about 2 inches to about a fullheight 216 of the replacement tailgate 202. Preferably, the offsetdistance 214 is about 6 inches inward from the upper edge 212. A height218 of the extension panel 206 may be equal to or less than a differencebetween the height 216 of the replacement tailgate 202 and the offsetdistance 214. In the figures, the extension panel 206 is shown as beingpivotally attached to the replacement tailgate 202. However, it is alsocontemplated that the extension panel may be pivotally attached to thefloor 204 of the truck bed 12. In this regard, the pivot axis 210 willbe moved over the truck bed 12 and a height 218 of the extension panel206 may be sufficiently long to extend beyond the upper edge 212 of thereplacement tailgate 202 when the replacement tailgate 202 is in thedown position and the extension panel 206 is pivoted out. As a furtheralternative, it is contemplated that the extension panel 206 may simplybe an add-on that is mounted to the tailgate 202 and/or the floor 204.As a further alternative, it is contemplated that the extension panel206 may slide out from the tailgate 202 beyond the upper edge 212 of thetailgate 202. The sliding out of the extension panel 206 may beaccomplished by embedding the extension panel 206 within the tailgate202 or placing the extension panel 206 on top of the tailgate 202 sothat the extension panel 206 is parallel with the upper surface of thetailgate 202 when the tailgate 202 is in the down position as shown inFIG. 22.

The replacement tailgate 202 may also come with two sets 220, 222 of theplurality of panels 224, 226. The first set 220 of the plurality ofpanels 224 may be mounted to the driver side wall 228 of the truck bed12. The second set 222 of the plurality of panels 226 may be mounted tothe passenger side wall 230. The driver side wall and passenger sidewall 228, 230 of the truck bed 12 may have interior side hollow cavitiesin which the first and second sets 220, 222 of the plurality of panels224, 226 may be stored. The hollow cavities in the sidewalls 228, 230may be formed by the taillight and may be disposed directly behind thetaillight 232. When the first and second sets 220, 222 are in the storedposition, the first and second sets 220, 222 are disposed within thecavities in the sidewalls 228, 230 behind the taillights 232. To deploythe plurality of panels 224, 226 of the of the first and second sets220, 222, the housings 234, 236 may be traversed medially so that theplurality of panels 224, 226 can be slid out and disposed verticallyabove the tailgate 202 and the extension panel 206, as shown in FIG. 25.Although the figures and description explain that the housings 234, 236are stored in the cavities then traversed medially in order to deploythe elongator 200, it is also contemplated that the housings 234, 236may be fixedly attached to the sidewalls 228, 230 in the position shownin FIG. 24. In that fixed position, the plurality of panels 224, 226 canbe slid out over the tailgate 202 and the extension panel 206.

In the figures and description, it is explained that the elongator 200elongates the truck bed 12 to a distal edge 238 of the extension panel206. However, it is also contemplated that the extension panel 206 maybe an optional component of the elongator 200. In this regard, theplurality of panels 224, 226 would slide out over the tailgate 202 thenbe pivoted inward to close off the back end of the extended truck bedportion of the elongator 200. The panels would be aligned to the edge212 of the tailgate.

With the first and second sets 220, 222 and more particularly thehousings 234, 236 traversed medially inward as shown in FIG. 24, theplurality of panels 224, 226 may be telescoped outward, as shown in FIG.25. In this exemplary embodiment, the plurality of panels 224, 226 mayeach have four panels each 240, 242, 244 and 246 and 240 a, 242 a, 244a, and 246 a. Panels 240, 242 and 240 a, 242 a are slid out of thehousings 234, 236. The panels 244, 246 and 244 a, 246 a are slid out ofthe panel 242, 242 a. Also, these panels 244, 246 and 244 a, 246 a maybe pivoted about panels 242, 242 a about vertical pivot axis 248, 250and pivoted in the direction of rotational arrows 252, 254. Preferably,the panel 246, 246 a are disposed in panel 244, 244 a when the panels244, 244 a are being rotated. After the panels 242, 242 a are rotatedabout pivot axis 248, 250, the panels 244, 244 a are parallel to thedistal edge 238 of the extension panel 206. If the extension panel 206was not utilized, then the panel's lengths could have been adjusted sothat panel 242, 242 a would have been pivoted about pivot axis 256, 258so that the panels 242, 244 and panels 242 a, 244 a would have beenparallel and aligned to the upper edge 212 of the tailgate 202.

With the panels 244, 244 a parallel to the distal edge 238 of theextension panel 206, the panels 246, 246 a may be slid out from thepanels 244, 244 a and lock to each other in order to form the enclosureof the truck bed 12, as shown in FIG. 27. The panels 246, 246 a areshown as being slid out from the panels 244, 244 a, however, it is alsocontemplated that the panels 246, 246 a may be pivoted out from a sideof the panels 244, 244 a about pivot axes 260, 262.

When the elongator 200 is deployed, as shown in FIG. 27, brake andtaillights 264, 266 may be mounted to the panels 244, 244 a, 246, 246 aas a separate add-on or may be embedded therein and wired to theautomobile's electrical system so that the brake and taillights 264, 266work when the blinkers and brakes are being actuated by the driver.

Referring now to FIGS. 28-31, a fourth embodiment of the elongator 300is shown. The elongator 300 has housings 334, 336 that house a pluralityof panels 324, 326. The plurality of panels 324, 326 include panels 340,340 a, 342 and 342 a which telescope outward in unison with theextension panel 306 as the elongator 300 is being deployed.

The extension panel 306 is stored on the floor 304 of the truck bed 12when the elongator 300 is not deployed or in the stored position. Theextension panel 306 may be disposed on top of the floor 304 or below thefloor. The extension panel 306 may be secured to the panel 342, 342 a sothat the plurality of panels 324, 326 telescope outward in unison withthe extension panel 306.

More particularly, the elongator may be similar to a drawer of a cabinetwhich may be pulled out in order to extend the length of the truck bed.The elongator 300 may be locked into the closed position as shown inFIG. 28. However, when it is desired to lengthen the length of the truckbed, the user may unlock a lock of the elongator so that the elongatormay be deployed as shown in FIGS. 29-31. The lock may be unlocked with ahandle 327. When the handle is lifted up, then the lock is unlocked andwhen the handle which is spring biased down is released so as to returnto the down position, the lock may be locked again so that the elongator300 does not extend or retract back in. When fully deployed, theelongator 300 may provide an additional 1 to 6 feet (preferably anadditional 2-4 feet) of additional length to the truck bed 12. FIG. 30illustrates the elongator 300 in the fully deployed position. However,it is also contemplated that the elongator 300 may have a plurality ofintermediate positions between the closed and fully deployed positionsas well. The elongator may be pulled backward and locked with a lockingmechanism into positions by increments of 6 inches or other factor(e.g., 2, 4, 8, 10 inches) until the elongator 300 is fully deployed.

The housings 334, 336 of the elongator 300 may be fixed in position asshown in FIG. 29. The housings 334, 336 are positioned medially from thetaillights 232 so that the plurality of panels 324, 326 may betelescoped outward or backward as the elongator 300 is being deployedwithout having to reposition the housings 334, 336 medially (asdiscussed in relation to FIGS. 23 and 24 above). The housings 334, 336may house the panels 340, 342, 340 a, 342 a. As the tailgate 302 isbeing moved backward, the panels 340, 340 a, 342, 342 a may betelescoped out. Moreover, the extension panel 306 may also be retractedoutward. The extension panel 306 may be one piece or a plurality ofpanels that telescope outward. For example, the extension panel 306 mayhave two panels that telescope outward as the tailgate 302 is beingmoved backwards to deploy or lengthen the truck bed. When the elongatoris fully deployed as shown in FIG. 31, the elongator 300 may be lockedin position by way of a plurality of detents or other mechanism. Thetailgate 302 may be disposed in the down position, as shown in FIG. 31in order to access the truck bed 12. Additionally, the extension panel306 may be supported by a support structure 368 (e.g., telescoping Ibeam) attached to the truck bed (e.g., underside thereof) and extendableout from the truck bed as the extension panel 306 is being deployed. Thesupport structure 368 may be telescoping and provide the necessarysupport to hold weight placed on the extension panel 306 when in thedeployed position. The support structure may be located below the floorof the truck bed and under the extension panel 306 so that the truck bedremains generally flat and does not interference with loading a flatplywood, lumber, furniture, or other objects into the truck bed.

The tailgate 302 may also have taillights 370 which are the primarytaillights 370 which will be seen when the elongator 300 is extendedinto the deployed position as shown in FIG. 30. When the elongator 300is deployed, the taillights 232 on the sidewalls 228, 230 are not fullyvisible or are blocked by the elongator 300 and itself. Taillights 370may be electrically connected to the electrical system of the truck sothat the taillights 370 operate in the same fashion and time astaillights 232. The electrical wires may be routed through the panels340, 342, 340 a, 342 a. The taillights 370 may be aesthetically blendedin with the taillights 232 so that the taillights 370 appear to be onewith the taillight 232 when the elongator 300 is in the undeployedposition (see FIG. 28). By way of example and not limitation, a heightand position of the taillights 370 may be aligned to the height andposition of the taillight 232, as shown in FIG. 28.

The support structures 368 may be secured to the truck bed 12, and moreparticularly to the floor 304 of the truck bed 12. The supportstructures 368 may be disposed under the floor 304 and slide out fromunder the floor 304 of the truck bed 12 when the elongator 300 isdeployed. When the elongator 300 is traversed to the deployed position,the support structures 368 may still be firmly secured to the floor 304of the truck bed 12. The support structures 368 are described as beingattached to the floor 304 but also it is contemplated that the supportstructures 368 may be attached to the frame or other structuralcomponents of the truck 14. The support structures 368 may each be asingle elongate piece that slides in and out of the sleeve attached tothe frame, or floor or a structural component of the truck. The singleelongate piece extends out with the extension panel 306 of the elongator300. The support structures 308 may also be telescoping.

The single elongate pieces of the support structures 368 may have a rack372 that is paired to a pinion 374. The pinion 374 may be rotatableclockwise and counterclockwise directions with a motor 376 (e.g.,stepper motor) attached to a shaft 378 which is also attached to thepinion 374. The stepper motor 376 moves the support structure 368 withinthe sleeve 380. The support structure 368 is slidable within the sleeve380 and the sleeve 380 is fixedly secured to the truck 14, floor 304 orthe frame of the truck 14. The sleeves 380 provide the support so thatwhen a heavy object is loaded on the deployed elongator 300, theextension panel 306 and the panels 324, 326 do not sag downward. Thesupport structures 368 are also fixable or movable or associated withextension panel 306. In other words, when the extension panel 306 movesout, the support structures 368 may be extended. The support structures368 may extend the full length of the extension panel 306 as shown inFIG. 31 or may be only partially under the extension panel 306 asneeded. The stepper motor 378 may be operable by way of a control panel380 located on or adjacent to the truck bed 12. The control panel 380 isoperative to control the clockwise or counterclockwise rotationalmovement of the stepper motor 378 in order to deploy or retract thesupport structures 368 and also the elongator 300. The control panel 380may traverse the elongator 300 to the deployed position by turning thepinion 374 which traverses the support structures 368 to the extendedposition. When the support structure 368 is attached or connected to theextension panel 306 and extension panel 306 is connected to theplurality of panels 324, 326, extension of the support structures 368also traverses the elongator 300 into the deployed position. The steppermotor 378 provides an incremental adjustment and lock to the amount ofextension provided by the elongator 300. In this regard, the steppermotor 378 may provide for incremental adjustments to the extension ofthe elongator less than 6 inches per increment.

The stepper motors 378 may be used to hold the position of the elongator300 in its deployed state. However, additional or alternative lockingmechanisms (e.g. detents and clamps) may be utilized in order to furthersecure the position of the elongator 300 in the deployed state. Thedeployed state may be when the elongator 300 is partially (see FIG. 28)or fully extended out. The support structures 368 may each have the rackand pinion configuration along with the stepper motor 378, 380 discussedabove in order to provide an even traversal of the elongator from theretracted position to the deployed position. One control panel 380 maycontrol the operation of both stepper motors 378 each of the supportstructures. Additionally, the stepper motors 378 may be controlled withcontrols (e.g. button, switch or electronic panel) located in the cabinof truck 14.

Referring back to FIG. 30, the tailgate may have two different handles327 and 329. Handle 327, as discussed above, may be operative to lockand unlock the lock that fixes the position of the elongator 300.Additionally, the handle 327 may also be operative to rotate the steppermotors 378 in either the clockwise or counterclockwise direction inorder to extend the elongator 300 when the handle 327 is lifted up or toretract the elongator 300 when the handle 327 is traversed downward andpushed inward as shown by directional arrow 331. When the inward forceis removed, the handle 327 may return to its normal position and stoprotation of the stepper motors 378. The handle 327 may essentially be aswitch that operates one or both of the stepper motors 378 and the lock.Handle 329 is operative to let the tailgate down as shown in FIG. 31.

Referring now to FIGS. 33-38, a fifth embodiment of the elongator 400 isshown. The elongator 400 may be traversed between a closed position asshown in FIG. 33 and an extended position as shown in FIG. 34. Theelongator may be integrated into the left and right side walls 36, 38 ofthe truck bed 12. The left and right side walls 36, 38 may besufficiently thick 403 to contain a plurality of panels or telescopingpanels 440, 440 a, 442, 442 a. The left and right side walls 36, 38 mayhave an enclosure 444, 444 a. The enclosures 444, 444 a may provide awatertight environment in which the panels 440, 440 a, 442, 442 a mayreside when the elongator 400 is in the closed position, as shown inFIG. 33. It is contemplated that the panels 440, 440 a, 442, 442 a maydefine a height that is about equal to a height of the tailgate so thatupper edges of the panels 440, 440 a, 442, 442 a are at about the sameheight as the upper edge of the tailgate 404 when the tailgate is in theupright position. The panels 440, 440 a, 442, 442 a form an enclosurethat extends from the truck bed to the tailgate in order to keep objectswithin the truck bed when the elongator 400 is traversed to the extendedposition. The elongator 400 may be operative to extend a total length ofthe truck bed by 1-4 feet, and preferably 2 feet.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 28-32, the rear bumper 402 isstationary with respect to the left and right side walls 36, 38.However, in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 33-38, the rear bumper 402 isfixed in relation to the tailgate 404 and moves away from the left andright side walls 36, 38 of the truck bed 12 as the elongator 400 istraversed to the extended position. In the extended position, the rearbumper 402 moves away from the left and right side walls 36, 38.Moreover, a floor 408 of the truck bed 12 may also telescope in order tofill any gap between the back edge of the floor 406 of the truck bed 12when the elongator 400 is in the closed position and the tailgate 404when the elongator 400 is in the extended position. The floor 408 whichextends is shown partially in FIG. 35 and FIG. 36. When the elongator400 is traversed between the closed and the extended positions, thetelescoping floor 408, the bumper 402 and the tailgate 404 are traversedas a group between the closed position and the extended position.Additionally, the telescoping panels 440, 440 a, 442, 442 a may also betraversed as a group along with the telescoping floor 408, the bumper402 and the tailgate 404 between the closed and extended positions.

Additionally, there may be an optional skirt 410 which extends with therear bumper 402 and the tailgate 404 when the elongator 400 is traversedto the extended position. The skirt 410 may be located on both the leftand right sides of the elongator 400 and be designed to hide the shocksand/or hydraulic actuators 412.

Referring now the FIGS. 35-38, an underside of the floor 406 and theextending floor 408 is shown. The elongator 400 may have a plurality ofshock absorbers 412 and one or more hydraulic actuators 414. In theelongator 400, one hydraulic actuator 414 may be disposed centrally fromthe left side wall 36 to the right side wall 38. Additionally, two shockabsorbers 412 are also shown which are evenly spaced apart from the leftside wall 36 to the right side wall 38. The shock absorbers 412 and thehydraulic actuator 414 may be utilized in order to extend the tailgate404 and the rear bumper 402 from the closed position to the extendedposition and vice versa. The traversal of the tailgate 404 and the rearbumper 402 may be accomplished with the hydraulic actuator 414. Thehydraulic actuator 414 may be controlled with a button located in a cabof the truck or somewhere on the left and right side walls 36, 38 of thetruck bed. The button may be the switch disclosed below. Additionally,the button or switch may be a handle 450 formed in the tailgate 404. Thehandles 450 may be on either side of a midline of the tailgate 404 andoperative to release a latch so that the elongator may be traversed fromthe retracted position to the extended position. The latch may be a lockthat holds the elongator in the retracted positions. The handles 450 maybe lifted up and the user may pull on the handles 450. By pulling on thehandles or lifting up on the handle(s) 450, the user may physically pullthe elongator 400 to the extended position. Also, it is contemplatedthat the actuators 414 may be activated through manipulation (i.e.,lifting or pulling) of the handles 450 in order to cause the actuators414 to traverse the elongator to the extended position. There may alsobe force sensors to stop traversal of the elongator 400 in the eventthat an object is blocking the tailgate 404 and/or the rear bumper 402.For example, if a child is located behind the truck, the force sensormay sense the child and prohibit traversal of the elongator 400.

Although the actuator 414 has been described as being a hydraulicactuator, it is also contemplated that the actuator 414 may be anelectromechanical actuator. In particular, the rack 372, stepper motor378 and control panel 380 shown in FIG. 32 may be implemented in theembodiment shown in FIGS. 35-38.

The actuator 414 may comprise one or more actuators 414. The actuator414 may be attached to the stationary floor 406 and the extending floor408. By way of example and not limitation, the actuators 414 may bedirectly secured to the stationary floor 406 or indirectly connected tothe stationary floor 406 by way of the frame of the truck and othercomponents of the truck that are in relative fixed position with respectto the stationary floor 406. Moreover, the actuators 414 may be directlysecured to the extending floor 408 or indirectly connected to theextending floor 408 by way of the bumper 402. In particular, theactuators 414 may be secured to the extending floor 408 with a bracketor an intermediary part that is connected to the bumper.

FIGS. 35 and 37 illustrate the elongator 400 when the elongator is inthe closed position. In contrast, FIGS. 36 and 38 illustrate theelongator 400 when the elongator 400 is in the extended position. In theclosed position, the extending floor 408 is disposed under the floor 406of the truck bed. However, when the elongator 400 is in the extendedposition, the extending floor 408 extends out past the rear edge of thefloor 406 so that people can support objects within the enlarged truckbed 12. The extending floor 408 may ride on rails on left and rightsides of the extending floor 408. Because the extending floor 408 may bedisposed under the floor 406 of the truck bed, it is contemplated thatthe extending floor 408 may traverse from the retracted position to theextended position and when in the extended position, the extending floormay rise up so that an upper surface of the extending floor 408 may bein the same plane with the upper surface of the stationary floor 406.Moreover, the movement of the extending floor 408 may be parallel withthe upper surface of the stationary floor 406.

When the actuator 414 extends the tailgate 404 and the rear bumper 402to the extended position, the actuator 414 may be disabled so that anyimpact force experienced by the rear bumper 402 or the tailgate 404 byanother vehicle that rear ends the elongator 400 is not resisted by thehydraulic actuator 414. Rather, the hydraulic actuator 414 may be ableto freely move in and out. Also, it is the shock absorbers 412 when inthe extended position, as shown in FIG. 36 which may provide impactresistance when the rear bumper 402 and the tailgate 404 experiences animpact force such as when the automobile is rear ended. The shockabsorbers 412 may be sized to withstand a 5 mile per hour impact forcefrom a second vehicle hitting the truck from the rear end.

The underside of the floor 406 and the extending floor 408 may have atelescoping support structure. The telescoping support structure maycomprise a tube 416 and a sliding extension 418. When the elongator 400is in the closed position, the sliding extension 418 is disposed moredeeply within the tube 416. However, when the elongator 400 is in theextended position, the sliding extension 418 may extend outward andprovides support to the floor 408 so that heavy objects within the truckbed or the enlarged truck bed do not cause the extending floor 408 toslide or bend downward. The sliding extension 418 and the tube 416 maybe sufficiently rigid in order to provide enough support to theelongator 400. Moreover, the tube 416 may be fixedly secured to floor406 or other frame member of the truck and the sliding extension 418 maybe fixedly secured to the extending floor 408 or some other member thatis attached to the extending floor 408 in order to provide the supportnecessary in order to hold objects on top of the extending floor 408when the elongator is in the extended position.

The telescoping support structure may be retrofitted with a strain gagein order to measure the weight supported by the elongator 400 in thetruck bed. The strain gage may be connected to a red and green lightemitting diode (i.e., indicator) that emits a green light when theamount of weight supported by the elongator 400 is within its designweight and emits a red light when the weight supported by the elongator400 exceeds the weight limitations of the elongator 400. The gage may beplaced on the truck bed at the stationary portion of the truck bed or atthe traversable part of the truck bed that forms the elongator 400.Additionally or alternatively, the indicator may be placed in the truckcab in order to notify the driver of times when the road conditions(e.g., bumpy road conditions) may be causing temporary excessivestresses on the elongator 400 which may require the driver to stop tolower stresses experienced by the elongator 400 or which may require thedriver to slow the vehicle to an appropriate speed.

The elongator 400 may be integrated into the truck from the factory ormay be a retrofit onto existing trucks that do not have the elongator400. In this regard, the elongator 400 is capable of providingadditional capabilities to those trucks that are already in the marketand also for future trucks to be sold.

The above description is given by way of example, and not limitation.Given the above disclosure, one skilled in the art could devisevariations may be within the scope and spirit of the invention disclosedherein, including various ways of securing the panels to the factoryreceiver of the factory tailgate of the truck bed. Further, the variousfeatures of the embodiments disclosed herein can be used alone, or invarying combinations with each other and are not intended to be limitedto the specific combination described herein. Thus, the scope of theclaims is not to be limited by the illustrated embodiments.

1-19. (canceled)
 20. A truck with a truck bed extender, the truckcomprising: a cab for holding a passenger and a driver; a truck beddisposed behind the cab; the truck bed extender comprising: a stationaryfloor fixedly attached to left and right sidewalls of the truck bed; atelescoping floor, a bumper and a tailgate, all of which are traversablebetween retracted and extended positions to extend a length of the truckbed; a shock absorber attached to the stationary floor and thetelescoping floor to absorb rear impact on the bumper when thetelescoping floor, the bumper and the tailgate are in the extendedposition.
 21. The truck of claim 20 wherein the truck bed extender has aplurality of shock absorbers distributed evenly on left and right sidesof the truck bed.
 22. The truck of claim 21 wherein the truck bedextender has an actuator attached to the stationary floor and thetelescoping floor for traversing the telescoping floor between theretracted position and the extended position.
 23. The truck of claim 20wherein the truck bed extender further comprises left and righttelescoping panels that extend from the tailgate to the left and rightsidewalls of the truck bed to form an enclosure, the left and righttelescoping panels being about a height of the tailgate.
 24. The truckof claim 22 further comprising a switch for actuating the actuatorbetween the retracted and extended positions.
 25. The truck of claim 24wherein the switch is a handle located on the tailgate or in the cab ofthe truck.
 26. The truck of claim 20 wherein the shock absorber isoperative to withstand a 5 mph to 10 mph impact from an automobile frombehind the truck.
 27. The truck of claim 22 wherein the actuator isdisengaged when the telescoping floor, the bumper and the are traversedto the extended position so that the shock absorber absorbs an impactforce from an automobile from behind the truck.
 28. The truck of claim20 wherein the shock absorber is attached to the stationary floor byattaching the shock absorber to a frame of the truck, and wherein theshock absorber is attached to the telescoping floor by attaching theshock absorber to the traversable bumper of the truck.
 29. The truck ofclaim 20 wherein the tailgate has left and right turn signals and theleft and right sidewalls of the truck bed has left and right turnsignals, the left and right turn signals of the tailgate is blended tothe left and right turn signals of the left and right sidewalls.
 30. Thetruck of claim 29 wherein upper edges of the left and right turn signalsof the tailgate and the sidewalls are aligned to each other, and whereinlower edges of the left and right turn signals of the tailgate and thesidewalls are aligned to each other.
 31. The truck of claim 20 whereinthe telescoping floor, the bumper and the tailgate are traversablehorizontally backward which is parallel to a plane of the stationaryfloor.
 32. The truck of claim 20 further comprising a telescopingsupport structure disposed below and attached to the stationary floorand the telescoping floor to provide support to the telescoping floor tosupport a weight when the bumper, the telescoping floor and the tailgateare in the extended position.
 33. A method of extending a length of atruck bed of a truck, the method comprising the steps of: providing thetruck comprising: a cab for holding a passenger and a driver; a truckbed disposed behind the cab; the truck bed extender comprising: astationary floor fixedly attached to left and right sidewalls of thetruck bed; a telescoping floor, a bumper and a tailgate, all of whichare traversable between retracted and extended positions to extend alength of the truck bed; a shock absorber attached to the stationaryfloor and the telescoping floor to absorb rear impact on the bumper whenthe telescoping floor, the bumper and the tailgate are in the extendedposition; traversing the bumper, the telescoping floor and the tailgatefrom the retracted position to the extended position.
 34. The method ofclaim 33 further comprising the step of engaging the shock absorber whenthe bumper, the telescoping floor and the tailgate are in the extendedposition to absorb a rear end impact from another vehicle.
 35. Themethod of claim 34 further comprising the step of providing an actuatorattached to the stationary floor and the telescoping floor, andactuating the actuator to move the telescoping floor, the bumper and thetailgate from the retracted position to the extended position and backto the retracted position from the extended position.
 36. The method ofclaim 35 further comprising the step of providing a switch incommunication with the actuatory, and activating the switch to controlthe actuator and traverse the bumper, the telescoping floor and thetailgate between the retracted and extended positions.